| 英文摘要 |
The topic of EPA project in 2014 is "Assessment on the revision of impact factors, sampling technologies and standards of indoor air quality." It is divided into four parts that the project implementation status and results of each chapter are described as follows:
This study is aimed to integrate the database of indoor air indicators and pollutants established by our research team over the past 15 years to evaluate indoor activities, outdoor activities and usage behavior impacts on indoor air quality (IAQ) in Taiwan. Since 1998, we have continuously collected monitoring data of IAQ in a total of 764 buildings in different indoor environments. We further integrated the profiles of ambient pollutants from EPA atmospheric stations according to the sampling area and specific time. Building characteristics and potential indoor and outdoor sources were summarized as well. We used descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test and Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to evaluate the impacts of indoor activities, outdoor activities and usage behavior on IAQ. The deterioration of IAQ would make people have headaches, respiratory infections, asthma, allergies, poor attention and sick building syndrome by literature review. Therefore, we still need to pay attention to IAQ in different types of places. After the data analysis, we found that all of the spaces flow/configuration and environment, indoor equipment or furniture, types and environment maintenance of air conditioner and potential sources from indoor or outdoor would affect IAQ, but the affected air pollutants and influence degree of impact factors are inconsistent in different types of places. In conclusion, our study is the first to evidence a series of impacts of ambient pollutants and climate variations on indoor air pollutants by using a 15-years dataset of field investigations. We have clarified the indoor activities, outdoor activities and usage behavior contributing to the change of levels of indoor air pollutants in different places.
This study has also conducted a comparison between data of non-standard sampling methods and standard sampling method for PM2.5 and PM10. We suggest that build the relationship between the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 personal environment monitoring (PEM) instrument and standard sampling methods, PM2.5 and PM10 PEM instrument could be used to monitor the levels of PM2.5 in the fields. According to these results of compositions of indoor PM2.5, meta-analysis and risk assessment, this study found: (1) Al, Ca, Mg, Fe and K, SO4-2 and organic carbon are predominant compositions of indoor PM2.5, (2) soil and photochemical reactions are important contributors of indoor PM2.5 and (3) it needs more evidences in the correlation between indoor carbon level and health effects in the future, to assess whether set indoor carbon standard values.
In this study, indoor semi-volatile compounds (including PAEs and PAHs) partitioning between the gas, particle (PM2.5 and PM10) and settled dust were investigated in ten public places (7 cram schools and 3 theaters). Results showed that the levels of gaseous PAHs were higher than that for particulate PAHs in all sampling sites. Gaseous PAHs were dominated by naphthalene, which exists almost entirely in the gas phase. The average air concentrations (gas- and particle phase) of naphthalene in cram schools and movie theaters were 336383 ng/m3 and 8941333 ng/m3, respectively. Two- and three-ring PAHs accounted for most of the air PAHs in cram schools and theaters, while PAHs in the dust samples were dominated by two- to four-ring PAHs. Lower molecular weight PAEs such as DEP, DIBP and DBP were frequently detected in the gas phase, while the PAEs with molecular weight between 300 to 400 g/ mol. were more abundant in the particle phase. The detection rates for DIBP, DBP, DEHP, DNOP, DINP and DIDP were reached to 100% in all indoor dust samples. The daily intakes (ingestion, inhalation and skin contact) of the target phthalates for adult and children were estimated lower than TDIs of the EU-CSTEE. More research regarding the distributions of SVOCs indoors is needed for the establishment of indoor air standards for those emerging compounds.
This study evaluated the association between the fungal concentrations quantified by real-time quantitative (qPCR) and culture assays by analyzing the air samples taken from eight spaces of a teaching and research building and seven after-class schools. For the teaching and research building, the total fungal levels were positively and significantly correlated with culturable fungal concentrations (r = 0.766, P < 0.05). Also, the results of after-class schools showed an extremely high correlation between the levels of total and culturable fungi (r = 0.937, P < 0.05). However, such significant relationship between culture and qPCR assays were no longer present if the data collected from sampling locations with varied characteristics were pooled to analyze (P > 0.05). Our findings demonstrate that the characteristics of location would affect the association between the fungal contamination determined by qPCR and culture assays, i.e. positive correlation would be observed in the locations having similar characteristics. Additionally, in order to investigate the applicability of the indicators commonly used for assessing fungal contamination, this study evaluate the impacts of fungal contamination on human health. Seven offices and 31 workers of a photonic fabrication factory located in Southern Taiwan were included, and various indicators of fungal contamination (culturable/total fungi, dustborne/airborne fungi, fungi/specific fungal genus or species) were used. The results show a positive relationship between the levels of culturable airborne Paecilomyces and allostatic load sore in respiratory/cardiovascular systems. Besides, more culturable Fusarium in the indoor air and dustboren Aspergillus versicolor and Aspergillus/Penicillium/ Paecilomyces varioti would result in the significant decrease of FVC% (Betaadj = -0.366 to -0.467, P < 0.05). For quality of life, the greater levels of airborne total fungi and culturable Yeast were associated with lower life quality index score. Based on these preliminary results, we demonstrate the adverse effects of the indoor fungal contamination on human health and quality of life; however, the question of which indicator is better for evaluating indoor fungal pollution relating to human health still cannot be concluded. Moreover, the specific fungal genus/species seems to influence health outcomes more obvious than “Fungi”; nevertheless, we still need more samples to further clarify this inference.
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